Many people have asked why 4K is important or needed, and how it compares to our current High Definition quality. To give a comparison the standard of what we’re used to seeing currently in the home on most consumer flat panels is 1920×1080 or Full high definition. While in Movie theaters they have a different resolution known as 2K or 2048×1080 which is slightly higher resolution than HD. Compared to Standard Definition which is 720×480 the High Definition signal is cleaner and has more detail, but when you move up to 4K you will see the same thing if not more difference in the quality of the picture.

For consumer use, the flat panels will be what are known as UHD or Ultra High Definition which is 3840×2160 resolution. And just as before what you will see in the theaters will be true 4K which is 4096×2160. So now that you know the difference between the resolutions lets go over the realism of how it is captured and how much it costs.

As far as capturing that 4K Image many of the top camera manufacturers have already released cameras capable of capturing 4K. Sony, Canon, Red and others have multiple options for getting that 4K look. Some of the advantages shooting in 4K gives you are to Master in 4K for future use and output in HD. But you can also do a two camera shoot with just one camera which is also known as Over sampling. While many may not realize the multipurpose uses of the 4K cameras such as cropping, pans, or zooms within the 4K footage, they can’t argue the quality of what they can capture. As far as the cost goes Sony and Black Magic both have 4K capable cameras under the 6,000 dollar price point.

Now you’re wondering how I get this in my living room. Many of the top manufacturers have or are coming out with 4K flat panels for the consumer. Unlike the first HD panels that could cost around 8-10 thousand dollars some of the 4K flat panels are around the 4-5 thousand dollar range, and some even as low as $1,200. So whether your looking to replace that old CRT television or just wanting to get the latest and greatest 4K is here and it’s not going anywhere for quite a while.